Android Launcher Pro Activity Shortcuts

I am enjoying the slick laucher Launcher Pro (free edition) these days on my Android phone Samsung Galaxy S. I was quite fortunate to discover the fantastic capability of this this slick app that allows you to link from one of your home screens to the internals of installed apps called activities.

Here is how you create activity shortcuts:

1. First you’ll have to download and install the homescreen and launcher replacement LauncherPro. Then, follow these steps.
2. Press the center key on the phone. You’ll get two options on the screen: ‘LauncherPro’ and ‘TwLauncher’. Select LauncherPro. Let LauncherPro load.
3. Now again press the center key and this time select TwLauncher.
4. After it loads, press and hold your finger on an empty spot on the screen.
5. In the list that pops out, select Shortcuts.
6. Then select Activities.
7. After a few seconds you’ll get a long list of Applications. Scroll down to Your desired app. Touch app name header, it’ll expand to show more options – which are activities offered by the app. From this expanded list, select the desired option (not all are able to run independently)
8. That’s it. You’ll now have a shortcut to the app activity on the homescreen.
9. After this is done, simply go to Settings>Applications>Manage Applications and uninstall Launcher Pro if you don’t want to use it.
10. If you do want to use it, press the center key, tick ‘Use by default for this action’, then press ‘LauncherPro’ (Much better than the Samsung Launcher and homescreen, except for the less colorful icons).

Here is a list of activity shortcuts that my home screens rock this days:

• Compose Activity from Gmail App
  com.google.android.gm.ComposeActivity
  jump straight to the compose form (app equivalent of https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?hl=en&shva=1#compose) for creating new email, there is a select box to choose account you want to send email from.
• Call Log Activity from Phone App
  com.sec.android.app.dialertab.calllog.LogsListActivity
  takes me straight to the call log view, so that I dont need to tap ‘dialer’ and then ‘call log’ to return last missed call!
• Agenda View Activity from Calendar App
  com.android.calendar.AgendaActivity
  your PA; just a tap away!
• Video recorder or CamCorder Activity from Camera App
  com.sec.android.app.camrea.Camcorder
  Android had a separate icon for direct entry to camcorder mode in 1.5? (I have seen it seen envifully on HTC Magic!). In FROYO, it is not there. I created mine without a single line of code here.
• Timer Activity from Clock App
  com.sec.android.app.clockpackage.timer.Timer
  For GTD based time management experiments, I use Timer often, here is a shortcut for it.
• Compose Activity from Memo App
  com.sec.android.app.memo.MemoCreateActivity
  Why do I have to see the ‘notes-list-splash-screen’ when I want to quickly jot something down? Not anymore with this shortcut.

The above steps are shamelessly stolen from here where I found out today that I could do the same with another app – any-cut. But, I am happy to use the same functionality that came OOB as bonus with Launcher Pro (Free).

Feel free to ask and share your discoveries into the anatomies of the android apps!

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